Call to Action
Silence is complicity. But action always has a reaction, no matter how big or small.
As workers for this company, we must make our voices heard, and demand that Microsoft does the right thing:
stop selling technology to the Israeli military.
If you are also concerned about this news, and you also want your work to be used ethically, I urge you to take action:
Sign the No Azure for Apartheid petition:
We will not write code that kills.
And join the campaign to add your voice to the growing number of concerned Microsoft employees.
Join me in showing our discontent in this thread.
If you also feel tricked into deploying weapons which target children and civilians, urge leadership (CC’ed) to drop these contracts.
Don’t stop speaking up.
Urge SLT to drop these contracts at every opportunity.
Start conversations with your co-workers about the points above - so many employees may not know!
Microsoft’s human rights statement prohibits retaliation against anyone who raises a human rights-related concern:
-- Human rights statement | Microsoft CSR
Our company has precedents in supporting human rights,
including divestment from apartheid South Africa and dropping contracts with AnyVision (Israeli facial recognition startup),
after Microsoft employee and community protests.
My hope is that our collective voices will motivate our AI leaders to do the same,
and correct Microsoft’s actions regarding these human rights violations,
to avoid a stained legacy.
Microsoft Cloud and AI should stop being the bombs and bullets of the 21st century.
Sincerely,
A concerned Microsoft employee
#Ibtihal #Aboussad #Mustafa #Suleyman
https://www.theverge.com/news/643670/microsoft-employee-protest-50th-annivesary-ai